Elfyn back in business with 2nd place finish in Portugal

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRCs secured a double podium at this weekend’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal – Elfyn Evans and Teemu Sunnier both taking well-earned podium places at the end of the challenging event.

Elfyn Evans and Daniel Barritt secured their first podium of the year with an impressive second place at this year’s Rally de Portugal.

Finding the perfect balance between speed and intelligence, the Brits posted three fastest stage times whilst giving the notoriously difficult stages the respect they deserved. It was a faultless drive from the Welshman, and a long overdue boost for his confidence.

Adamant that there is more to come, Evans will now focus on further gains behind the wheel of his EcoBoost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC – eager to stand on the top step of the podium before the year is out.

Elfyn said:

I’m happy with this result, and a bit relieved too if I’m honest! Everyone knows that our season didn’t get off to the best of starts. Monte started well with the exception of the puncture, but one thing led to another and it quickly snowballed into what was becoming a pretty dismal season.

We knew coming here that we needed to get some strong points on the board – for the team and for us as well. So to come away with second place was good. It wasn’t perfect, and there are some areas where we can still improve. I wasn’t entirely happy with my driving through all of the stages, but it's certainly alleviated the pressure and we can go to Sardinia in a positive frame of mind.

Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:

This result is exactly what Elfyn needed, and he did a great job – setting fastest times and delivering a flawless drive through some very tricky conditions. He said himself that there is still room for improvement, and hopefully this result can act as a springboard for him to get even better as the season continues.